To mark a quarter-century of boundary-pushing electronic music and avant-garde culture, the renowned cultural publication Dazed has announced a high-profile curatorial partnership with Italy’s premier contemporary music celebration, C2C Festival (formerly Club To Club). For its milestone 25th anniversary, the festival will feature an exclusive Dazed stage takeover housed within Turin’s legendary Lingotto venue—a colossal architectural marvel that once served as a historic Fiat automobile manufacturing plant. Scheduled for October 30 and 31, this specialized two-day residency bridges industrial heritage with the cutting edge of contemporary electronic music, showcasing an eclectic roster of foundational legends, regional innovators, and crossover acts.
The collaboration represents a significant cultural convergence between print journalism, digital curation, and live performance. By transforming the cavernous spaces of the former automotive factory into an immersive auditorium, the partnership seeks to honor C2C’s foundational ethos of geographical exploration and sonic adventurousness. Over the past two decades, C2C has evolved from an underground club night into a globally recognized institution, drawing tens of thousands of international visitors to Turin to witness the vanguard of electronic, pop, and experimental soundscapes.
Chronology and Day-by-Day Programming Breakdown
The two-day showcase at the Lingotto stage is meticulously structured to offer contrasting yet complementary sonic experiences, bridging deep-rooted dance music traditions with avant-garde experimentation.
October 30: Deep Roots and Indigenous Textures
The opening day of the Dazed takeover is anchored by an endurance masterclass from deep house royalty. Theo Parrish, a Detroit-based vinyl purist and sonic architect, is slated to command the stage for an unprecedented seven-hour continuous DJ set. Parrish’s marathon performance is expected to delve deep into the historical archives of soul, jazz, techno, and house music, providing a meditative and physically demanding exploration of black dance music genealogies.
Complementing Parrish’s marathon set on October 30 is a diverse slate of international acts representing disparate geographical and stylistic lineages. Mexico’s Eli Wewentxu brings a deeply personal and political dimension to the stage, utilizing his violin to channel the ancestral rhythms, oral histories, and contemporary struggles of the indigenous Mapuche people through modern classical and ambient lenses.
Further expanding the stylistic palette, jazz-electronica artist Fake Samo will perform intricate, rhythmically complex compositions that blur the boundaries between acoustic improvisation and digital sound design. The opening day lineup is rounded out by the interdisciplinary Brazilian art-music duo Fronte Violeta, whose performances are known for merging visual art, live instrumentation, and hypnotic electronic soundscapes into a cohesive multisensory experience.
October 31: 360-Degree Spatial Sound and Cross-Genre Experimentation
The second day of the takeover on October 31 utilizes the unique architectural geometry of the Lingotto space, featuring a 360-degree setup designed to immerse audiences in enveloping spatial audio. Danish experimental rock artist and Iceage frontman Elias Rønnenfelt is set to perform, bringing his distinctively raw lyricism and post-punk intensity into an electronic festival environment.
A highlight of the second day is a high-profile collaborative back-to-back set pairing storied UK bass DJ and Hyperdub label founder Kode 9 with the godfather of Chicago footwork, RP Boo. This transatlantic pairing is projected to trace the evolutionary lines connecting early UK dubstep and grime to the rapid-fire, syncopated rhythms of Midwest footwork, offering a masterclass in rhythm manipulation and sub-bass physics.
Representing the new wave of genre-fluid songwriting, Dazed favorite Liim will take to the stage. Liim’s melancholic, lived-in vocal delivery navigates the fertile intersection of indie rock, hip-hop, and contemporary R&B. The daytime programming on October 31 also features performances from ambient-experimental producer and DJ KMRU, known for his field-recording-heavy textural soundscapes, alongside dub-techno specialist Picture. Additionally, the schedule includes a dedicated label showcase from the cult Italian industrial imprint Hundebliss, reinforcing the festival’s commitment to local and underground infrastructure.
Background Context and Historical Evolution of C2C Festival
Established 25 years ago under the moniker Club To Club, C2C has systematically dismantled the traditional boundaries separating underground club culture from high art. Originally conceived as a nomadic festival operating across various venues in Turin, the event has grown into an essential fixture on the European cultural calendar. Its historical programming has frequently served as a bellwether for shifts in electronic music, hosting seminal performances by figures ranging from Aphex Twin and Kraftwerk to contemporary innovators like Arca and FKA twigs.
The choice of the Lingotto venue for the silver anniversary celebrations carries profound symbolic weight. Originally designed by architect Giacomo Mattè-Trucco and opened in 1923, the multi-story factory famously featured a rooftop test track where newly manufactured Fiat vehicles were driven immediately after rolling off the assembly line. Converted in the late 20th century by Renzo Piano into a multi-purpose exhibition center, concert hall, and hotel complex, the building’s cavernous industrial architecture provides an ideal acoustic and visual backdrop for large-scale avant-garde music production.
Beyond the Dazed stage takeover, the broader 25th-anniversary edition of C2C sprawls across multiple historic and cultural landmarks throughout Turin. Festival attendees traversing the city’s cobblestone streets will encounter an ambitious lineup of forward-thinking pop and underground icons.
Among the broader festival highlights is Arca, the Venezuelan electronic music pioneer and producer, who arrives in Turin fresh off the critical acclaim of her latest industrial-electro-pop album, XXXXX. Swedish pop innovator Robyn, a longtime collaborator and friend of Dazed, is also slated to perform, bringing her emotionally resonant, universally praised catalog of electronic pop anthems to the Italian stage.
Further expanding the geographic and stylistic scope of the festival are Norwegian electronic-pop duo Smerz, whose whimsical, deadpan vocal deliveries and minimalist production have garnered a dedicated cult following. Demonstrating the enduring commercial and cultural gravity of contemporary internet-born rap, the influential Swedish cloud rap duo Yung Lean and Bladee will perform a collaborative set. This pairing underscores C2C’s unique ability to bridge the gap between niche internet subcultures and major festival headlining slots.
Supporting Data, Demographics, and Economic Impact
While specific economic impact figures for the 25th-anniversary edition are compiled by municipal authorities in the months following the conclusion of the event, historical data from previous iterations of C2C illustrate its substantial economic footprint. Typically attracting attendees from over 40 countries—with significant tourist contingents arriving from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States—the festival acts as a major catalyst for Turin’s hospitality, transport, and tourism sectors.
Ticket demand for the silver anniversary edition has outpaced previous years, driven by the combination of milestone programming, exclusive stage curations like the Dazed collaboration, and an increasingly mobile demographic of cultural tourists. According to organizers, the festival’s audience primarily spans the 18-to-35 demographic, though an increasing number of older, dedicated electronic music connoisseurs and contemporary art enthusiasts attend annually, attracted by the event’s rigorous curatorial standards.
Fact-Based Analysis of Cultural and Industry Implications
The collaboration between Dazed and C2C for this silver anniversary edition highlights a broader structural trend within the contemporary music festival landscape: the deepening integration between cultural media brands and live event curation. As traditional print media models have evolved, legacy publications have increasingly leveraged their brand equity, editorial authority, and tastemaking status to curate physical spaces.
For Dazed, taking over the Lingotto stage represents an extension of its editorial mission from the printed page and digital screen into a three-dimensional, communal environment. By assembling a lineup that explicitly connects foundational pioneers like Theo Parrish and Kode 9 with contemporary boundary-pushers like Eli Wewentxu and Liim, the publication reinforces its historical role as a cross-generational chronicler of youth culture and musical innovation.
Furthermore, the strategic programming of the Lingotto stage reflects broader shifts in how audiences consume electronic music. Rather than catering exclusively to peak-hour club dynamics, the inclusion of seven-hour marathon sets, 360-degree spatial audio configurations, and indigenous musical storytelling points to a growing demand for immersive, patient, and intellectually engaging live music experiences. Festival-goers are increasingly seeking out environments that prioritize sonic depth and historical context over transient spectacle.
As Turin prepares to host thousands of international visitors for this milestone edition, the convergence of Dazed’s curatorial vision and C2C’s industrial-chic setting stands as a testament to the enduring vitality of European festival culture. Remaining tickets and comprehensive schedule details are available directly through the official C2C Festival platform.
